Words are Overrated
by blackstar822
Summary: A young engineer is hurt in an explosion and all but one of the medics give up on trying to help him. Will the engineer be able to speak again?


Pairing: Ratchet/Wheeljack

Rating: T

Verse: G1

Warning: Mech and Mech Kiss and descriptive injuries

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"Carefully, Carefully…"

"Hey Wheeljack! Whatcha doin'?"

BOOM!

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The young medic jumped as an explosion shook the building.

"What the pit was that?"

"Sir, One of the engineering labs exploded. There was one minor injury and one major. Your presence is required in the medbay!" An assistant peered into the room.

"Thank you. I'm heading there now."

The assistant nodded and trotted off.

Even though the medic was young, he was the best they had.

Ratchet could fix the unfortunate engineer.

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When Ratchet rushed into the medbay he noticed a young mech with his injuries being treated who sat in the corner staring at the door that led to the ICU. This must be the mech with minor injuries.

Ratchet looked at the ICU. That must be…

The medic didn't spare the mech a second glance as he hurried into the ICU.

There was energon everywhere. An assistant was off to the side looking queasy, but the energon didn't phase Ratchet.

The head medic quickly assessed the situation with expert eyes.

Several medics were working on the mech's lower body and one noticed him and gestured to the mech's face. Ratchet would work there, meaning that's where the mech was injured the most.

Ratchet strode briskly over to the mech and got to work.

The engineer had a large piece of shrapnel embedded in the lower half of his face.

Ratchet ran a quick scan over the piece of metal. He was looking for any chemicals the engineer could have been working with.

Instead, he got something unexpected. The shrapnel was not shaped so that it could be easily pulled out. The metal had a jagged edge shape and would have to be cut out.

A frown creased the young medic's handsome face. He reached for a scalpel on the try next to him. It was cold in his servo as he carefully sliced into the patient's face.

Once open, the lower face bled energon until Ratchet slowed the flow.

With great patience, the medic removed the shrapnel. Luckily, there was no extra debris in the mech's face.

Setting the metal and scalpel aside, Ratchet delicately connected energon lines together and welded the face back to a semi-normal state.

The engineer wouldn't be able to talk again.

His vocal cords were still working, but he could no longer move his mouth.

Unless…

Unless Ratchet's idea worked.

"You! Bring me some of the glass we use for optics. Lots of it." He snapped.

"Yes sir!"

Ratchet glanced at his patient.

This would work.

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Ratchet didn't know how long he worked.

The other medics had left long ago.

The head medic was confused. Why had he worked so long to perfect the engineer?

He didn't even know his name.

Somehow, he felt an attraction to the nameless mech.

Ratchet banged his head against the desk he was working at. The mech's repairs were perfect. There was nothing else Ratchet could do.

"Wha's wrong Ratch'?"

"Ironhide! Primus you scared me." Ratchet turned to face the red mech.

Ironhide wrapped his arms around the medic's neck.

"Ah was worried. Ya've been in here nearly 2 solar cycles." (1)

"Has it really been that long?"

"Yea. Wha are ya workin' on?"

Ratchet gestured to his patient. "An injured engineer."

"Hey, isn't that Wheeljack? Tha head engineer?"

"Is that his name?"

Ironhide laughed. "Ratch, Ah'm pretty sure a medic's supposed ta know tha name of his patient. Aren't very social are ya?"

One wrench to the helm later, the red mech was gazing at the unconscious mech.

"He seems differen'."

Ratchet looked up from his datapad.

"Hmm? Oh, yes, he needed some major repairs. There was a piece of shrapnel embedded into the lower half of his face. I rewired his vocal cords to glass panels on either side of his face. He can still talk due to my adjustments. I also fitted him with a facemask."

"Ah didn't know that was possible to do with a bot's vocals."

Ratchet didn't respond. He was sure now he felt something for the engineer.

Ratchet no longer felt anything for Ironhide, the mech he had been seeing for nearly 4 vorns.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Wheeljack woke feeling a dull pain in his face.

The engineer onlined his optics cautiously.

"What happened to me?" He was talking to himself, a bad habit he had gotten into.

"Your lab blew up. You were injured, so you're in the medbay. How are you feeling?"

Wheeljack jumped. He wasn't expecting a reply.

"It feels like a dull pain in my face, but everywhere else seems fine."

He turned his head to face the medic. Wheeljack was uncertain as to his name.

"Did you fix me?"

"I did. I'm glad to see your vocals seem to be working without issue."

Wheeljack frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"Your face was extremely injured in the explosion. You were in danger of losing the ability to talk. Your vocal cords were undamaged but your mouth is unable to move. I rewired your vocals to glass panels on the side of your face. I wasn't sure if it would work because this is a unique case. I'm glad it did." The medic indeed looked very pleased as he handed the engineer a reflection glass. (1)

Wheeljack looked at the bot in glass.

Was that really him?

The head engineer reached up and felt his new side panels.

"Are they made of optic glass?" he noticed the panels flashed blue as he talked.

"Yes. It was the best I could do."

"And the flashing?"

"An unexpected side-effect."

Wheeljack undid the clasps to the facemask slowly.

The medic was right his mouth could no longer move.

Deep welding scars ran over his lower face. The kind of scars that never went away.

"Thank you."

The medic was startled. Why did the engineer thank him? Those welding scars were what preventing him from talking normally.

"Without your smart idea of rewiring my vocals, I would never speak again. What is your name?"

"Ratchet. I'm head medic… I'm pleased to have assisted you."

Wheeljack was in a great mood. He had met such a nice bot today.

But what was this feeling he had in his spark?

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_Crash! _Wheeljack didn't flinch as his project dropped to the floor.

There were more important things on his mind.

'How could I NOT see it? I'm in love! I barely even know the mech. How in the Allspark could I develop feelings so soon?'

Perceptor, a scientist, peered in the lab and saw Wheeljack standing over…what was that?

"Hello Wheeljack. Is something amiss? I heard a crash."

"Perceptor! Primus you scared me." The engineer leaned over to pick up his…thing.

"Forgive me. Would you mind telling me what you have there?"

"A new project. It's a holographic image transmitter." (2) The mech explained, his new head fins lighting as he spoke.

"Fascinating! May I take a look?"

Wheeljack handed it over carefully. "Just put it on my desk when your finished."

Perceptor made an affirmative noise.

Wheeljack sighed at his friend's antics and left.

He had other matters at hand.

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Wheeljack timidly poked his head around the corner to the medbay.

He was lucky. The only medic in the room was Ratchet, who was currently straightening some tools.

The engineer emerged fully from his hiding place after a moment of hesitation.

"Um… Ratchet?"

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The head medic had been strategically placing tools when he heard his name called. Turning around, he saw the engineer with whom he had fallen in love.

"How can I help you?" This was the one mech he was nice with, besides sparklings or younglings.

"I, uh… well…" Wheeljack sputtered. Where had all that spur-of-the-moment confidence he just had gone?

Ah, screw words.

The engineer unclasped his facemask and moved toward the medic.

"Ratchet. I… I love you."

And their mouths connected.

The head engineer and the head medic.

Forever and always.

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(Present day on Earth)

"Pst. Sunny. Sunny~~~" His brother was whining at him.

Sunstreaker sighed and put his paintbrush down.

"WHAT Sideswipe? What could be so bloody important that you must whine at me for the millionth time today? You know it's my day off!" The outburst didn't fase the red mech in the least.

His brother held up a picture.

"I caught evidence! Ratchet and Wheeljack kissing! I knew that something was going on between them!"

"…WHAT THE SLAG? DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH? What if Ratchet finds this? We are so dead!" (3)

"Calm down! Sunny, this is as gold as your paintjob! I wonder what the back story is about those two? You know what this means right?"

"What NOW?"

"Now we just have to get Jazz and Prowl together!" (4)

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1: I fancied up the term for a mirror.

2: Think of Hound's holograph thing on his shoulder

3: Sunny has more sense than his poor twin.

4: Oh Sides, how wrong you are… A story on how these two bonded will come soon.


End file.
